Congressman Faleomavaega announced today that on May 27, 2005 USA Today published an article written by Greg Zoroya entitled From tiny Pacific islands comes outsized sacrifice.  On June 14, 2005, Faleomavaega sent copies of the article to all U.S. Senators and every Member of Congress.

            “I want to thank USA Today reporter Greg Zoroya for publishing this article,” the Congressman said.  “Mr. Zoroya contacted my office in April of this year to discuss the sacrifices our military men and women are making to win the war on terror and I was pleased to put him in contact with the families of those who have lost loved ones and also with those who are currently serving.”

            “I was also pleased to introduce Mr. Zoroya to General Robert E. Lee, former Commander of the 9^th Regional Support Command and currently the Adjutant General for the State of Hawaii.  On April 27, 2005, the three of us met in my Washington office and we had a very involved conversation about American Samoa’s people and economy.”

            “I am very proud of the article Mr. Zoroya wrote about our military men and women and for this reason I forwarded a copy to every Member of the House and Senate.  A copy of my Dear Colleague dated June 14, 2005 is included below.”

            Dear Colleague:

I would like to draw your attention to the May 27, 2005 article published by USA Today entitled “From tiny Pacific islands comes outsized sacrifice.”   The article describes the major contributions and sacrifices the men and women of American Samoa are making in the war against terrorism.  As the article states:

“The Iraq war death rate per 1 million population is almost as high for American Samoa as for the 10 highest states combined.”

I commend American Samoa’s sons and daughters for their valiant service and I am proud that they are serving our great nation with distinction and honor.  In recognition of their heroism, I submit this article for your consideration. 

                                                Sincerely,

                                                ENI F.H. FALEOMAVAEGA

                                                Member of Congress

            “Following this introduction, I included the USA Today article in my Dear Colleague and a complete copy is posted on my website.  In the near future, I also intend to include a copy of the USA Today article in the Congressional Record.”

            “At this time, I want to thank Mr. Zoroya for caring enough to write about our tiny Pacific islands and I want to once again commend American Samoa’s military men and women for their heroic service.  I also want to pay special tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect the freedoms we enjoy today.  May we remember their sacrifice and may we pray for the safe return of every member currently fighting the war on terror,” the Congressman concluded.